Former Assistant State Attorney Brandon Taliaferro and Court Appointed Child Advocate Shirley Schwab Need Your Help To Stop A South Dakota Cover-up of Child Abuse

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Brandon Taliaferro

Brandon Taliaferro, B.B.A, J.D.

Brandon Taliaferro

In his own words…

“I was born in Georgia and grew up in the South. I went to college at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where I earned a business degree. I chased my dream of becoming a lawyer to a little South Dakota town called Vermillion, where I attended law school at the University of South Dakota School of Law. After graduating law school, I began my first job as a Deputy State’s Attorney in Brown County South Dakota. I prosecuted juvenile cases and abuse and neglect cases. Although they don’t specifically teach you about juvenile prosecution or abuse and neglect prosecution in law school, I read everything I could to learn as much as I could about how to prosecute these cases. I loved my job and truly believed that I could make a positive difference in the lives of children. What job could be more noble than one to fight to protect children?!”

The rest of the story…

Brandon Taliaferro began his legal practice in 2008 as a South Dakota Deputy State’s Attorney. Brandon prosecuted juveniles and abuse and neglect cases, covered Magistrate Court, and appeared in felony cases. He worked to establish the first multidisciplinary team in Aberdeen, South Dakota that focused on child abuse prevention and early intervention. This involved working closely with the court appointed special advocates, the Department of Social Services, and area physicians, therapists, and law enforcement agencies. A great part of Brandon’s job consisted of legal writing and research for the State’s Attorney Office.

Brandon has also been active in his private capacity in the local legal community. He was the Secretary-Treasurer (2008-2009), Vice-President (2009-2010), and President (2010-2011) of the Brown County Bar.

As a law student at the University of South Dakota School of Law, Brandon won several awards for Moot Court (litigation training competitions). He was president of the Moot Court Board (2007-2008), winner of the 2006 Sam Masten Moot Court Tournament, and a National Octa-Finalist at the 2006 New York Bar National Moot Court Competition. Brandon served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee in 2008, won the Alan Bouge Excellence in Legal Writing Award in 2007, and was inducted into the Order of Barristers in 2008.